Friday, July 13

Wild Arugula is Hot, Iceberg is Not

I've never really been one for following the latest trend. Although I just HAD to have a pair of GUESS jeans in the eighth grade (which, thankfully, my mom bought for me, allowing me to survive junior high with minimal permanent damage to my self esteem).

Like clothing, food can be fashionable. For example, last year was apparently the year of the pomegranate. From POM juice to pomegranate molasses, suddenly everybody had to have pomegranate. I still remember my mom's mystification at this craze: "We've been eating pomegranates for as long as I can remember. And now they want to charge an arm and a leg for them because they have antioxidants."

I think a similar infatuation with unusual salad greens has taken hold. Gone are the days of iceberg; now it's chic to eat hip greens like Mache or wild arugula. I grew up eating arugula because we grew it in our garden; therefore, I never considered it special. It was just that spicy lettuce we added to our salads in summertime. Yet, over the last few years arugula, along with the wild and baby arugula varieties, have become hot. It’s been featured in numerous cooking magazines, and many chefs laud its uses in everything from salads to pasta dishes and pizzas.

So, what's so "wild" about wild arugula? It's a slightly darker shade of green than regular arugula, has delicate fluted leaves, and packs a more intense flavor. Most chefs suggest eating wild arugula raw or just wilted to truly appreciate its flavor.

Eating freshly picked wild arugula is quite a sensory experience. First, you detect a spicy fragrance. Then, when you place a leaf in your mouth, you taste the slightest bitterness and heat. It's when you bite it though that things really get fun: it releases an explosion of flavor that can be best described as pungent or peppery. It’s no wonder that most Europeans call it rocket (from the German Rauke).

We don't call it rocket in The States apparently because the Italians who immigrated to America called it rucola, which became Americanized as arugula. Indeed, arugula is typically associated with Italian cuisine, as it has been cultivated in that area since Roman antiquity.

The best part about cooking with wild arugula, however, is the praise you will receive from your guests. Whenever I have company, I almost always make Jamie Oliver’s wild rocket pasta. Like everything Jamie cooks, it's delightfully easy to make and delicious to savor. In fact, both my mom and brother-in-law Jason have requested that I post about Jamie’s wild rocket pasta, so here it is.

Wild arugula is most commonly found at farmers' markets and speciality organic markets. If it's not available to you and you've got a green thumb, you can grow some pretty easily. It likes cooler temps and apparently thrives in the Midwest region of the country. If all else fails, then use regular arugula; I promise that it will still be flavorful. Just be sure to use all of the freshest ingredients you can find for this pasta, and it will shine. Oh, and by the way, arugula is also high in antioxidants, so I guess you can expect to start paying a lot more for it; sorry Mom.

The measurements may not be exactly the same as Jamie's, but I know he wouldn't mind, since he's all about a "handful of this" and a "dollop of that." So, adjust the amounts below to satisfy your taste. Also, simply omit the anchovies for a vegetarian version. I can attest that it's fabulous without them too.

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped1 Tbsp olive oil2 small cans of anchovies packed in olive oil1-2 whole chilies, finely chopped (or as much heat as you can take!)3 handfuls of wild arugula (or regular)The zest and juice of 2 small lemons (or less if that is too tart for you)

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the wild arugula. Sauté the garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Just as it begins to turn golden, add the chili and anchovies. Lower the heat, and gently give it a couple of stirs. After a couple of minutes, the anchovies will start to melt; add the wild arugula, lemon juice and lemon zest at this point. Stir a couple of times, then turn off heat, so the arugula wilts but does not cook.

Once the pasta is cooked, add it to the pan with the arugula and toss. Add the Parmesan cheese, and toss to coat.

Divide the pasta among 4 plates; top each with a little more wild arugula, some good Parmesan cheese, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Await praise from your guests!

Do you like the darling tomato pictured above? Her name is Blush, and I'd like to thank my friend Alanna for creating her to promote farmers' markets.

44 comments:

Oh baby, this is something that sounds just perfect to me. I just love arugula, although now I'm not sure if I've ever purchased any that was specifically labeled wild arugula. I like everything about this combination, especially the arugula and lemon, just yum.

I have the hardest time finding arugula here...and when I do it is extremely expensive. I would try to grow it, but I'm guessing that our temps get too high in the summer (it's been up near 100F for the last few weeks.) Your dish sounds fabulous, though!

Your mom is right when she says.""We've been eating pomegranates for as long as I can remember. And now they want to charge an arm and a leg for them because they have antioxidants." these days most of the food or ingredients are all hyped up....I liked the second pic a lot :)

Something new for my garden next year! I'm sure it would do well here in early spring! Or all summer if we have another one like this ;-(I see mache all year but haven't seen this in the market.I love Jamie's cooking, too. I try to catch his show when I'm cooking during the day. Great recipe!

Where do you purchase your arugala? Every time I see it in the grocery store it's in a plastic container that costs about $3.xx. So the bowl of arugala you have would cost about $80. The dish looks fabulous and can't wait to try it!

I'm a huge arugula fan, so this looks marvelous to me. Beautiful picture! I like the looks of that wild arugula and I'll try to find it. Haven't ever seen any, but now it's on my "must try" list! I'll be doing my WHB recipe tomorrow! Glad your hosting!!

Darn, this is so unfair! Your pasta looks fabulous and I can't find wild arugula anywhere. I've been looking for it ever since I read about it in some cooking magazines a while back. Looks like I might be planting some next year. So I'll have to save this recipe. Thanks!

I'm with you on the Jamie Oliver praise. Everything I have tried from his books has turned out well, if not amazingly well, and he is pretty much single handedly trying to turn around the awful UK diet.Don't care if he's not very trendy anymore, I admire him greatly. And the rocket pasta is fab. :)

Peter-I haven't planted any in years since I haven't had a garden. But I remember how plentiful it was when I did plant it; and it's low maintenance too!

Michelle-You may have some luck growing it with your climate, since it likes cool temps.

Asha-Oh, it marries beautifully with pasta!

Shn-I know!

KatieZ-I've never seen Jamie on our cable channels. Bummer.

SuburbanGourmet-I buy it at the local farmers' market where it sells for about $8-10/pound. The amount you see in the picture was actually only about $5. The good thing is since it's as light as a feather, you get a lot for your money. And after you eat it, you realize that it's worth every penny!

Meeta-Sounds delicious; I'll have to check it out!

Sher-I get it at the local farmers' market. Look forward to your entry!

Aria-Why, thank you so much!

C'Tina-I'm glad you enjoyed it. Blush has been appearing on many food blogs thanks to Alanna.

Lydia-You are lucky!

Carol-It'll still be excellent with regular arugula too if you don't want to wait until next year to try it!

Wendy-His recipes are always so simple and fresh.

Chris-I love arugula pesto too--it's great on everything from pizza and pasta to veggies and fish.

Hmm... I wonder what other foods are hot right now. Food trends are very interesting. I love all the info you included about arugula; I had no idea there was a wild arugula. The pasta dish sounds great!

I searched for arugula, each time I was shopping. For as you say, it had become popular and there were a lot of recipes out there in the blogosphere for it! Then it suddenly becomes clear and I realise I have some in the fridge! Rocket! I have been cooking with it all along, how about that!Your pasta does look good!

I know exactly what you mean about trendy foods- I too grew up eating pomegranates and not eating iceberg lettuce, so I never know what the big deal is. What also worries me is that people will think of one trendy item as a superfood, and think of it as a panacea for all that ails them, rather than eating a widely varied diet.

Trendiness and newness are really in the eye of the beholder. Case in point: romaine lettuce is considered "normal" lettuce in Iranian cuisine, so if you go into an Iranian supermarket, the romaine lettuce is really cheap, and the iceberg lettuce is somewhat more expensive. Back in southern california, I used to buy romaine lettuce for around 50 cents a head, and now in syracuse, I sigh when I see iceberg lettuce for 99 cents and romaine for 1.99/lb... then again, not being a slave to trends, I can see the place of iceberg lettuce in certain dishes...!

This was really interesting - I didn't know much about arugula, but did know it was "hot" and wondered what I was missing! Your descriptions are great (felt like I was in the garden) and the pasta looks SUPER HOT!!!

It's known as rocket here in Australia as well, and it's a favourite of mine in any garden salad, it's pungent kick is enough to breathe some life into almost any ordinary garden mix :D Have never actually tried it anything other than raw, so I'm intruiged by this pasta!

I got accustomed to calling arugula and wild arugula as rocket because I lived in London for a while, and this is where I developed a deep love for the green. I had it at least once a week at home, and like you, never thought of it as a 'hot' or fashionable item. Which I actually still find amusing to this day, when food is considered a fad or fashionable.

I love what you've done with it on the pasta especially because it has anchovies and it seems so light. I will try this! Thanks. :)

I love arugula, Susan, and this looks like an amazing use of it. I've not seen wild arugula around Chicago yet, but perhaps I just haven't looked hard enough for it. For a dish like this, I'll definitely start looking!

I was one of the kids who grew up on iceberg lettuce, with mabe the occasional venture into the leafy world of butter lettuce. I don't know if there was no market for other salad greens or what, but I was probably well out of my teens before I encountered my fist cos or baby gem lettuce. So as you can guess, I was a latecomer to the rocket scene!! But for me it was love at first bite, rather like cilantro. I have always preferred the wild rocket, not only because it is prettier but because of the more punchy taste. My favourite way to eat it (apart from munching it straight from the fridge!!) is on a goat's cheese and sun-dried tomato pizza, added just as the pizza comes out of the oven. Heaven!

A fun (and informative!) read as always. And the recipe sounds delish. I've been on a pasta binge lately, and I have a whole bunch of volunteer arugula on the verge of bolting in the greenhouse. I can't believe I never thought to combine the two. Thanks for the inspiration!

FYI Trader Joe's sells big bags of Wild Arugula for $1.99. They also sell regular Arugula bags for $2.50 or so. I purchased some Wild Arugula yesterday and loved it! I paired an arugula salad with gnocchi for dinner last night. Today I put some arugula in my turkey sandwich for lunch. I will be buying more next time I go to Trader Joe's.